Extra: Mermaid [1]

Silverport was a trading city, with ships coming and going at all times of the day, and people could be seen milling about the pier that stretched out into the sea. The pier was on a beach that extended along the shoreline and was frequented by the local NPCs and players who wanted to relax before or after undertaking a quest. And on this day, Faye, who had returned to being a player and had joined the Hero's party, was invited to spend the day at the beach.

Ashlyn and Nox were included in the invitation, and while Nox would go with whatever Faye decided, Ashlyn was delighted at the thought of going to the beach. They had joined the party alongside Faye, and Ashlyn had long been exhausted from the constant quest-taking and fighting mobs on the outskirts of town and wanted a day to relax.

They had been enthusiastically running about collecting enough points to exchange for swimsuits and other items needed for the day trip. Since the three of them had become players again, they could access everything that they weren't able to before, like the system store and a screen that showed all of their stats, inventory, etc.

Ashlyn had long discovered the skin shop and the selection of summer outfits that had come out during an event the year before. They had told Faye to leave it to them and they would choose the perfect outfit for her: Faye didn't have a particular style and wore whatever was comfortable, and on seeing Ashlyn's happiness, she left them to it. Her trust in them was immeasurable, so she knew Ashlyn wouldn't choose something that would embarrass her.

After everything was sorted Ashlyn, Nox and Faye used the teleportation array that would take them to Silverport, and met up with Jarreth and the others at the spot that was agreed upon days before.

Jarreth waved at them cheerily. His blond hair glistened in the sunlight and was almost as dazzling as his smile when he singled out Faye amongst the others, earning a sour look from Nox, who moved closer to her side and took her hand in his. Pretending not to notice, Jarrath babbled about a quest the group had just completed and showed off the items that they had won.

It had been a long time since Faye could go to a beach, in reality, and in the game. She had been an NPC for a long time and outside; she had been practically fused with the gaming pod and had only recently woken up - extricating herself from the pod and the game. Months of staying in the pod had left her unwell and unable to do anything except get healthy again. But when she felt the sand beneath her feet and the sea breeze, it relaxed her mind and she felt refreshed.

Sitting on the towel, with Nox still by her side, she planned to sunbathe and finish the book she had brought with her, but Ashlyn had other plans. They urged her to go for a swim, and as if affected by the other's joy, Faye couldn't refuse and let Ashlyn lead them to the water.

They played in the water for a bit and, while doing so, something sparkled out of the corner of Faye's eye.

It was unlike the reflection of the sun's light on the sea, and it shone so brightly that it went unnoticeable even though Faye was the only one who seemed to have noticed it. And it was like she was being drawn towards it.

Everything else faded away, and ignoring her friend's calls, she swam towards it and went under the water. Now, she was able to see it more clearly.

Magical items were prevalent throughout the game world and were readily available in the game world. From items that could raise stats to ones that would help finish a quest: if you needed it, the shop would have it. But there were also some magical items that weren't a part of the shop and were instead scattered across the game map, and finding one was a matter of luck.

Faye's luck must be good because she had found one under the sea, and once her hand closed around it, a window popped up in her field of vision. The item was round and shone with a luminescent light, and was smooth to the touch. Looking at the information on the screen, the only thing that could be seen was the description and where there should be the stats, there were only question marks.

With nothing worth seeing on the screen, Faye clutched the item in her hand and started to go back up to the water's surface, but it was like something was holding her back and pulling her further out into the sea. In the end, her struggles were pointless and came up fruitless as she got swept out into the deepest part of the sea, and was slowly dragged downwards.

The game was immersive, so pain, emotions and everything would be felt like in the real world. At the moment, the feeling of drowning wasn't just something that was happening to a character she controlled from the outside but was actually being experienced by Faye herself.

However, before she could completely lose consciousness, water formed a shield around her body and allowed her to have some reprieve. Taking a breath, her body relaxed somewhat, but the next moment, she tensed up again. Unlike the change that occurred when she went from an NPC to a player, this feeling was something else.

Crimson mixed in with the sea as it flowed from the slits that had been slashed into the side of her neck, and her ears rang as they stretched and were moulded into something more fin-like.

Her body started to cramp and felt like it was being stretched, as the skin on her legs stitched themselves together, and elongated as ebony scales started to appear. They covered the surface of the tail that was where her legs used to be, and once the pain disappeared, the water returned to its usual calm, and Faye descended towards the sand below.

She sprawled out on the sand, the sensation on her back was like a feather that was brushed lightly over her spine. Her mind became cloudy and the blue of the sea was fading to black as her consciousness started to swim, and seemed to ebb and flow alongside the waters that surrounded her. Before everything went dark, her hand slackened against the sand, and the magical item rolled off the palm, and was buried beneath the sand.

Its light glowed through the sand above and illuminated the beautiful woman, who appeared like a mythical being, with her ebony tail, flowing auburn hair and her eyes closed. It appeared like she was just sleeping peacefully, and the surrounding sea quietened down so as to not wake her.